Negative electroluminescent cooling device

Abstract

A negative electroluminescent cooling device including a first layer of material; a second layer of material arranged at a non-zero distance from the first layer of material with help of a set of supporters, and an energy source to apply a reverse bias voltage to the first layer of material to cool the second layer of material. The material of the first layer is a semiconductor with a bandgap less or equal to a surface resonant energy of the second layer of material.

We claim: 
     
       1. A negative electroluminescent cooling device, comprising:
 a first layer of material; 
 a second layer of material arranged at a non-zero distance from the first layer of material, wherein the first layer of material includes a semiconductor with a bandgap less than or equal to a surface resonant energy of the second layer of material; 
 a set of supporters to connect and support the first layer of material and the second layer of material while allowing passage of photons from the second layer of material to the first layer of material, wherein the set of supporters is a set of pillars of oxides or semiconductor materials, such that a combined cross-section area of a cross-section area of each pillar from for the set of pillars is more than 100000 times smaller than an area of the cross-section of the first layer of material or the second layer of material, and 
 wherein the surface resonant energy of the second layer of material corresponds to a resonant frequency of the second layer of material, wherein the resonant frequency of the second layer of material is in a range between 10 to 1000 nanometers (nm), and wherein the distance between the first layer of material and the second layer of material is smaller than a wavelength of the resonant frequency of the second layer of material; and 
 an energy source to apply a reverse bias voltage to the first layer of material to cool the second layer of material. 
 
     
     
       2. The device of  claim 1 , wherein the second layer of material includes a metal or a doped semiconductor. 
     
     
       3. The device of  claim 2 , wherein a surface of the second layer of material closest to the first layer of material is patterned with nano-scale structures. 
     
     
       4. The device of  claim 3 , wherein the pattern of the nano-scale structures is selected to match the surface resonant energy of the second layer of material to the bandgap of the semiconductor of the first layer of material. 
     
     
       5. The device of  claim 3 , wherein the pattern of the nano-scale structures and a mutual arrangement of the first layer of material and the second layer of material establish a surface plasmon resonance between the first layer of material and the second layer of material. 
     
     
       6. The device of  claim 1 , wherein the second layer of material includes plasmonic material. 
     
     
       7. The device of  claim 6 , wherein the plasmonic material is zirconium carbide (ZrC). 
     
     
       8. The device of  claim 1 , wherein the first layer of material includes a p-doped region, an n-doped region, and an undoped region extending between the p-doped region and the n-doped region, and a reverse bias voltage across the p-doped and n-doped regions that drives electrons out of the semiconductor of the first layer of material. 
     
     
       9. The device of  claim 1 , wherein an amplitude of the reverse bias voltage, multiplied by an electron charge, is between two and three times an energy of the bandgap. 
     
     
       10. The device of  claim 1 , wherein a ratio of an energy of the bandgap to the resonant surface energy is between 1 and 1.2. 
     
     
       11. The device of  claim 1 , wherein the thickness of the first layer of material is between 1 and 3 μm. 
     
     
       12. The device of  claim 1 , wherein the first layer of material serves as a heat sink to cool the second layer of material. 
     
     
       13. The device of  claim 1 , wherein the second layer of material forms at least part of one or combination of a processor, a light-emitting-diode, a transistor, and a power amplifier. 
     
     
       14. A method for manufacturing a negative electroluminescent cooling device, comprising:
 providing a first layer and a second layer of material; 
 arranging the second layer of material at a non-zero distance from a first layer of material, wherein the first layer of material includes a semiconductor with a bandgap less than or equal to a surface resonant energy of the second layer of material; 
 connecting a set of supporters to support the first layer of material and the second layer of material while allowing passage of photons from the second layer of material to the first layer of material, wherein the set of supporters is a set of pillars of oxides or semiconductor materials, such that a combined cross-section area of a cross-section area of each pillar for the set of pillars is more than 100000 times smaller than an area of the cross-section of the first layer of material or the second layer of material, and 
 wherein the surface resonant energy of the second layer of material corresponds to a resonant frequency of the second layer of material, wherein the resonant frequency of the second layer of material is in a range between 10 to 1000 nanometers (nm), and wherein the distance between the first layer of material and the second layer of material is smaller than a wavelength of the resonant frequency of the second layer of material; and 
 applying a reverse bias voltage using an energy source to the first layer of material to cool the second layer of material. 
 
     
     
       15. The method of  claim 14 , further comprising: patterning a surface of the second layer of material closest to the first layer of material with nano-scale structures, wherein the second layer of material includes a metal or a doped semiconductor, such that the pattern of the nano-scale structures is selected to match the surface resonant energy of the second layer of material to the bandgap of the semiconductor of the first layer of material. 
     
     
       16. The method of  claim 14 , wherein the first layer of material includes a p-doped region, an n-doped region, and an undoped region extending between the p-doped region and the n-doped region, and a reverse bias voltage across the p-doped and n-doped regions that drives electrons out of the semiconductor of the first layer of material.